Folding table



Feb. 28, 1933. c. w. GLANDT FOLDING TABLE 1930 2 Sheds-Sheet l" 'original Filed April 1o uvwio'o CNV. GLAND T.

Original Filed April l0, 1930 C. W. GLANDT FOLDING TABLE 7' a /1; ,l +7 l; I I 21 l I7. H /I'I :hf/

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Il la 5x100/nicas v 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Feb. 28, 1933 nutren stares Parent erster.

CLAUS W. GLANDT, OF BENNINGTON, NEBRASKA FOLDNG TABLE Application filed April 10, 1930, Serial No. 443,979.

' this character wherein there will be a fourpoint support in either the folded or extended position, and in which the swinging gate leg members, when in the folded position will be raised ofi' the floor, and will, when in said position, lie in planes substantially parallel to each other and to the fixed back portion between said back portion and the lowered drop leaf.

A still further object is to provide such a table wherein the swinging gate leg members have alternative extended positions in one of which the gate members are substantially at right angles to the fixed back portion and interlock with a hinged shelf meniber dropped down between them and securing them in position, and in the second position the gate members being angularly related and interloclied with each other to provide additional unobstructed space beneath the drop u leaf, such space furnishing leg-room for users of the table.

I attain these objects by the device illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. l is a side view of the table in its folded position.

Fig. 2 is a front folded position.

Fig. 3 is a horizontal section of the device taken on line 3-3 of Fig. l.

Fig. 4 is a front view of the table unfolded for use, with the drop leaf swung to its horizontal position, the gate leg members swung outwardly to support the drop leaf and the shelf member lowered into a horizontal position and secured to the gate leg members.

Fig. 5 is a horizontal sectional view taken on line 5--5 of Fig. l.

Fig. 6 is a vertical sectional view of the table taken on line 6*-6 of Fig. 4.

view of the table in its Renewed January 16, 1933.

Fig. 7 is a detail section on line 7-7 of Fig. 6, to show the pin for securing the top and the swinging gate leg members.

Fig. 8 is a detail section on line 8-8 of Fig. 5, to show the i on the side edges of the shelf member with the grooved slats of the gate members.

ln carrying out my invention according to the illustrated embodiment thereof, l provide a relatively fixed frame portion comprising vertical supports or legs l0 having at the lower ends feet ll and l2, and a top member 13 co iiectine' the upper ends of said vertical legs l0. Secured to the legs is a back niemterlocking of the tongues 55 ber 11i to the rear side of which is attached 65 a rack l5 for magazines and the like. To the front edge of the top member 13 is hinged a swinging drop leaf 16 which hangs vertically opposite the bach member lll when in a folded position and which may be raised to 7 a horizontal position as shown in Figs. l, 5, and 6. Laterally swinging gate leg members 17-17 are hinged to vertical cleats lS-lS on the inner side of the vertical legs l0. @ne of the cleats, 18', is substantially narrower than the other to enable the gate leg members to be folded inwardly to the parallel positions shown in Fig. rlhe gate leg meinbers 17-17 are adapted to swing laterally outward to support the drop leaf member in a raised horizontal position. Fins 19 in cleats 20, secured to the under side of the drop leaf adjacent the side edges thereof, aie received in sockets in the upper portion vof the leg members 17 thereby locking the drop leaf against movement upwardly from its horizontal position. rlfhis construction relieves the hinges of the drop leaf from undue strain which might result from upward pressure 90 thereon. W ith the gate leg members swung to their outward limit of movement, a shelf 2l, hinged at its rear edge to the inner side lof the back member ll, may be swung downwardly and outwardly from a vertical posi- 95 tion adjacent to and substantially parallel with the back member to a horizontal position where it rests on cleats 22 secured to the inner side of the gate members near the lower edge thereof. Longitudinal grooves in the le@ cleats receive tongues 23 on the side edges of the shelf and interlock with them to hold the gate members 17 rigidly in their open position. The gate members may also be swung to an intermediate position as shown by the dotted lines in F ig. 6 to provide additional leg room for the users under the drop leaf and are locked in said intermediate position by the interlocking of a screw eye 24 in one of the leg members 17 and a round headed pin 25 in the other leg member 17. When ythe side members are in this intermediate position the shelf remains in its vertical position adjacent to the back member 14. To reduce the possibility of the table rocking due to an unevenness in the floor surface, it is supported from only four points in either its folded position or in its opened position. Antifriction caster buttons 26 are provided on the bottoms of the feet 11 of the vertical legs 10 and on the bottoms of the legs 17 of the gate leg members. The legs 17 are slightly shorter than the vertical legs 10 so that 1n their folded position the legs 17 are raised slightly off the floor. The table therefore is supported by the feet 11 and 12 and is tilted slightly forward due to the added height of the caster buttons on the feet 11. This inclination, together with the weight of the folded drop leaf, brings the center of gravity in the table slightly forward of a perpendicular plane longitudinally through the table thus providing a counterbalance for the weight of magazines or like articles placed in the magazine rack. W'hen the legs 17 are swung outwardly they come into contact with the fioor surface and slightly raise the feet 12 thus forming a four-point support for the table on the extended base provided by the legs 17 and the feet 11.

The advanta es of this invention are that a simple, dura le and inexpensive table is provided that may be folded up and put out of the wa when not in use and which may be easily an quickly opened for use. The gate leg members may be locked in a position substantially at right angles to the back member with a shelf member locking said gate leg members in position and providing a place for books or other articles. The gate leg members may also be locked in an intermediate position to provide additional leg room under the table for the users.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. In a folding table, a main frame comprising parallel vertical side-members and a horizontal top and a vertical back-member fxedly connecting said side-members, the latter each having a front foot and a rear foot, gate-leg members hinged to said sidemembers and foldable into overlapping parallel relation adjacent to the vertical backmember, a drop-leaf hinged to the front edge of the horizontal top and foldable to a lowered position for inclosing the folded gateleg members between the same and the back-member, the drop-leaf being swingable to a raised position in alinement with the horizontal top, the gate-leg members being swingable forwardly beneath the raised drop-leaf to support the saine, and means for detachably connecting to each other the front ends of the gate-leg members to retain the saine in a triangular formation relative to the back-member.

2. A folding table as set forth in claim l, having foot portions on the gate-leg members proportioned and arranged to engage a floor when said members are in their forwardly extended position only, said foot portions by their engagement with the floor in said position serving to tilt the main frame rearwardly suficientiy to disengage the front feet of the side-members from the iioor, whereby the table is then supported only by the rear feet of the side-members and said foot portions of the gate-leg members.

3. In a folding table, a. main frame comprising parallel vertical side-members each having a front and a rear foot, and a horizontal top and a vertical rear member lixedly connecting said side-members; gate-leg members hinged to said side-members :in-'l foldable into the space between the same in overlapping parallel relation, a drop-leaf hinged to the front edge of the horizontal top and foldable to a lowered position for inclosing the folded gate-leg memliers bctween the same and the rear member, the drop-leaf being swingable to a raised position in alinement with the borizontaf top. the gate-leg members being swingaliile forwardly beneath the raised drop-loaf to support the saine, means for interlocking thf:- drop-leaf and gate-leaf members to prevent lifting of the former from. the latter, a shelf hinged to the lower portion of the rear member between the side-menibers and swingable from a raised vertical. position to a lowered horizontal position extending between the gate-leg members in the forwardly swung position of the latter. and. means interlocking the gate-leg members with said shelf and supporting tbe latter in said horizontal extended position.

CLAUS W. GLANDT. 

